Persischer Marsch

Infos :

In autumn 1864 Johann Strauss 'harvested' a rich crop of decorations as reward for various compositions which he had dedicated to a number of crowned heads across Europe. His medals included the 'Persischen Sonnenorden' (Persian Order of the Sun), awarded by his Imperial Majesty the Shah of Persia, who acceded to the throne in 1848 and remained a fervent devotee of poetry and music until his assassination at Teheran in 1896. The honour was given to Strauss in return for the dedication of the Marche persanne – under which fashionable French title the work was originally published, though the German form of the name, Persischer Marsch, was swift to find more widespread acceptance. The composer conducted the first Viennese performance of the march on 4 December 1864 at a festival concert in the Volksgarten, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his public debut as composer and conductor at Dommayer's Casino in Hietzing in October 1844.